This story is about a minimum-security women’s prison located in the tony Chelsea district of Manhattan, which was apparently something of a non-secret secret to residents. It was closed because of damage from Sandy and is slated to be sold rather than reopened.
That’s part of what I wanted to pass along - a women’s prison in a Manhattan restaurant and shopping district. Whoa.
But the last line of that story spooks me… :eek:
Seems like a rather inefficient use of valuable real estate. I’d think Sandy did the State a favour.
I’m pretty sure it just means authorities moved them elsewhere.
“elsewhere” meaning FEMA death camps!!!
Edit- it’s a joke.
Chelsea wasn’t that ritzy 20 years ago. In fact, it was pretty much a dump.
Alessan has it right. The facility opened in 1970, when the area was pretty crap. Even in the early 90s, quite a few buildings were vacant and there was limited (legitimate) nonindustrial activity west of 8th avenue.
There are actually several minimum-security state prisons in Manhattan. There’s also a sizable medium-security state prison in Queens.
Queens, I get. And, of course, Riker’s Island is in the city.
I used to live near Folsom Prison, and I now live not too far from Connecticut’s max security institution. I was amused to hear “I’m from Somers.” “Oh, when did you get out?” as the local joke… because I grew up with it as “I’m from Folsom…”
Of course, Folsom is now mega-yupscale and so it’s a bit of a boast to say you live there, unlike the sleepy semi-resort town it was until my 30s or so. And the prison isn’t technically in Folsom, but a micro-parcel with its own zip code called Represa. (And, of course, there are now McMansions in Represa, so…
Still, a prison in Manhattan is pretty odd these days. Gotta keep the shoplifting princesses somewhere, I guess.
I dug up the list. They’ve apparently closed some prisons since I retired. There are currently only three operating prisons left in NYC:
Edgecombe - 611 Edgecombe Avenue, Manhattan
Lincoln - 31 West 110th Street, Manhattan
Queensboro - 47-04 Van Dam Street, Queens
Queensboro has also been downgraded from a medium to a minimum-security prison.
Bayview is still officially part of the prison system but it’s currently unoccupied. There used to also be Arthurkill in Staten Island and Fulton and Parkside in Manhattan but they’ve closed.
Keep in mind these are state prisons not city jails.
Speaking of using valuable real estate for a prison, I doubt you could do better than San Quentin, Marin County, Ca. (Aerial photo.) That’s gotta be one hunk of real estate prime choix !!! Right on a point of land on San Pablo Bay (that’s the upper part of San Francisco Bay), major freeway right alongside (I-580, just behind the hill and visible at the upper left), and San Rafael just up the road in the background.
Yeah, but Riker’s doesn’t get very good reviews on Yelp, at least not compared to Bayview Prison for Women.
The state of NY is in the final stages of closing and selling off Mid-Orange prison. No surprise there - it was situated on a huge piece of scenic property in the middle of the Hudson Valley. Individual houses in that area sell for $500,000. I can only imagine how much 700 acres are worth.
All these prisons on fabulously valuable land!
It reminds me of The Thousand Pounds passage from Through The Looking Glass
I used to live just a few blocks from there, and most people knew about it. Glad it’s being replaced.
Go to prison in Manhattan? Say “hello,” to the fucking hall monitor!
Yes. Through the 80s, that whole area was pretty disreputable. The 11th Avenue/West Street strip on which Bayview is located was also home to a bunch of back-room type gay leather bars (the Anvil, the Ramrod, the Spike, J’s, the Mineshaft, etc.). Right across the street was the Eagle’s Nest. Across West Street now is Chelsea Piers, a high-end athletic and recreation complex, but back then the piers were rotten, collapsing, and really, really dangerous. Also cruising sites.
Nowadays this is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in New York City, and the price per square foot makes it sensible for the city to sell off the prison to a developer who will probably demolish it and put up a building where a one-bedroom apartment will sell for millions of dollars.
I don’t know about that. I mean, sure, all real estate in Manhattan is valuable. But Washington Heights is not one of the trendy neighbourhoods.
